Eddie Johnston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eddie Johnston |
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| Born | November 24, 1935 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues Chicago Black Hawks |
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| Playing career | 1956–1978 | ||
Edward Joseph Johnston (born November 24, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He also worked as a coach and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). His amazing career in hockey lasted 53 years! He spent 22 years as a player and 31 years in management. Johnston won two Stanley Cups as a player with the Boston Bruins in 1970 and 1972. He won a third Stanley Cup in 2009 as a senior advisor for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He worked for the Penguins for 25 years in different roles. Johnston was the last NHL goaltender to play every minute of every game in a season, which he did in the 1963–64 season.
Playing Career: A Goalie's Journey
Edward Johnston grew up in Montreal, Canada. People often called him "E.J.", a nickname he still uses today. He loved ice hockey as a kid and decided to become a goaltender.
Johnston started his hockey journey in 1953 with the Montreal Junior Royals. He played in the minor leagues for six years. During this time, he won many championships. In 1962, the Boston Bruins called him up to play in the NHL. He played most of his NHL career with the Bruins. In the next season, he played every single minute of every game. He was the last NHL goalie to do this!
For his first five seasons, the Bruins were not a very strong team. They often finished in last place and missed the playoffs. But things changed in 1967. The Bruins got amazing players like Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. The team became very powerful and won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. Johnston was a backup goalie to Gerry Cheevers. He played so well that he was chosen as a backup for Team Canada in the Summit Series in 1972. He only played in practice games, though.
After that, many players left the Bruins to join a new league. Johnston became the main goalie again. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs after the season. After one year with the Leafs, Johnston went to the St. Louis Blues. He was a good backup goalie for them for three seasons. In his last season, 1977-78, he played a few games for St. Louis. Then he was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks. He played four more games there before ending his playing career.
In 1968, Johnston was injured during a warm-up. He spent six weeks in the hospital.
Johnston had 27 regular-season shutouts for the Bruins. This means he stopped every shot and didn't let the other team score. This number ranks him fifth on the Bruins' all-time list for goalies.
From Player to Coach and General Manager
The year after he stopped playing, Johnston became a coach. He coached the New Brunswick Hawks, a minor league team for the Chicago Black Hawks. He led them to a great record.
In 1979, he became the head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks. The next year, he became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1983, he became their general manager. A general manager is in charge of a team's players, trades, and overall strategy. Johnston was the GM for the Penguins for five years.
As general manager, Johnston made a very important decision. He chose Mario Lemieux in the player draft. Lemieux became one of the greatest hockey players ever! Johnston once said that without Lemieux, the Penguins' home arena "would be a parking lot." This shows how important Lemieux was to the team.
After leaving the Penguins in 1988, Johnston became the general manager of the Hartford Whalers. He worked there from 1989 to 1992. The Whalers made the playoffs every year he was in charge. Johnston made a big trade while in Hartford. He traded star player Ron Francis to Pittsburgh. This trade helped Pittsburgh win two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
Johnston returned to the Penguins as head coach in 1993. He coached them until the 1996–97 season. After that, he became the assistant general manager. In 2006, he became a Senior Adviser for Hockey Operations. In this role, he helped the Penguins win their third Stanley Cup in 2009. This was his first Stanley Cup win as part of management, and his first since 1972.
In 2009, Johnston announced that he would semi-retire after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
On April 8, 2010, Johnston was honored at a special ceremony. It was before the last regular season game at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
Johnston now works for a 3-on-3 professional ice hockey league called 3ICE. He is the deputy commissioner, and his son, E.J. Johnston, is the CEO. Johnston also coached his team in the 3ICE league for the 2023 season.
Awards and Achievements
- EHL First All-Star Team (1960)
- EPHL First All-Star Team (1961)
- WHL Second All-Star Team (1962)
- 5 time Stanley Cup champion (1970, 1972, 2009, 2016, 2017)
- Named to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series
